Poland: Scientists criticize poultry farming for environmental pollution

Scientists from the University of Warmia and Mazury found that the poultry farm caused serious environmental pollution, affecting not only the soil, but also groundwater. “We found 7 drugs in groundwater collected at a depth of 35 meters,” said Professor Agnieszka Piotrowicz-Cieslyak from the Department of Plant Physiology, one of the study’s authors .

Moreover, scientists said that they had discovered substances in drinking water sources used by the local population. “We analyzed 3 local sources and found the presence of antibiotics in each of them,” Piotrovich-Cieslyak emphasized.

“Drinking water contaminated with antibiotics means that antibiotics enter the body of humans and animals. Even such small concentrations of drugs in food and water, in the absence of a clear therapeutic effect, can be harmful, especially for children,” the scientist noted.

Based on their findings, the scientists sharply criticized the performance of the poultry industry in Poland. They argued that "not everyone realizes that poultry production has a much greater environmental impact than other types of food production."

According to scientists, poultry farms release pollutants into all parts of the environment, including air, soil, surface water and groundwater, affecting people, animals and plants.

The scientists also point to a study conducted by the University of Warsaw, which found that the phosphorus content in soil near a poultry farm was 2.5 times higher than the average soil in Poland. “Excessive amounts of phosphates in the soil limit the uptake of iron and zinc by plants, which causes symptoms of deficiency of these elements,” Piotrovich-Cieslyak noted.

The Polish Meat Association, an organization representing major poultry companies, issued a statement in response to the study, criticizing its methods and findings.

“A single analysis based on samples taken from an unidentified body of water should not be considered an objective and reliable scientific study. It is shameful to formulate claims and accusations based on a random test result of one small farm and consider it as representative of the entire poultry sector in Poland,” the meat association emphasized.

As an EU member state , Poland strictly adheres to EU rules, the meat association said, stressing that compliance with veterinary and sanitary regulations is strictly monitored and the entire poultry sector is open to sound scientific research.